Automatic writing arrangements for accounting or calculating machines

ABSTRACT

An accounting machine comprises an automatic printing device controlled by a store which emits during a data transfer period a group of code combinations each adapted to select the type to be printed. The printing device includes a one-cycle clutch adapted to be engaged each time for printing the selected type. A locking element is actuated by a synchronizing electromagnet throughout the said transfer period in such manner as to lock the clutch in the engaged position, whereas the code combinations are called up synchronously to cause the synchronous printing of the corresponding characters. To actuate the spacing mechanism repeatedly by a particular code combination, a second one-cycle clutch is conditioned by a second electromagnet to continuously actuate the mechanism.

United States Patent Bretti [54] AUTOMATIC WRITING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACCOUNTING OR CALCULATING MACHINES [72] inventor: Franco Bretti, Are DI Caluso (Torlno),

Italy [73] Assignee: Ing. C. Olivetti 8: C., S.p.A., lvrea (Turin),lta1y 221 Filed: 014.2, 1969 21 Appl.No.: 863,058

zao wg 27s a 279 [151 3,677,385 51 July 18,1972

Primary Examiner-Edgar S. Burr Attorney-Birch, Swindler, McKie & Beckett ABSTRACT An accounting machine comprises an automatic printing device controlled by a store which emits during a data transfer period a group of code combinations each adapted to select the type to be printed. The printing device includes a onecycle clutch adapted to be engaged each time for printing the selected type. A locking element is actuated by a synchronizing electromagnet throughout the said transfer period in such manner as to lock the clutch in the engaged position, whereas the code combinations are called up synchronously to cause the synchronous printing of the corresponding characters. To actuate the spacing mechanism repeatedly by a particular code combination, a second one-cycle clutch is conditioned by a second eiectromagnet to continuously actuate the mechanism.

2 Clains, 4 Drawing Figures Patented July 18, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. FRANCO BRETTI 2 Sheets-Sheet f3 Q n2 mm E m 5 mmm mmm RN 8m 8w Ovm 0mm mom EN M 8N w NJ; aw 8w m8 @Q INVENTOR. FRANCO BRETTI AUTOMATIC WRITING ARRANGEMENTS FOR ACCOUNTING OR CALCULATING MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an automatic writing or print-out arrangement, for example for accounting or calculating machines, in which a store emits in succession in a data transfer period a group of code combinations each adapted to SUMMARY OF THEINVENTION This drawback is obviated by means of the improvements according to the invention. An automatic writing arrangement according to the invention is characterized in that a locking element is adapted to be actuated by a synchronizing electromagnet throughout said transfer period in such manner as to lock said clutch in the engaged position, a device generating synchronizing signals being connected to the driving part of said clutch and being adapted to call up said code combinations synchronously to cause the synchronous writing of said characters.

An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a partial longitudinal section from the right of an electric typewriter incorporating the arrangement of the invention;

FIG. 2 is another partial longitudinal section of the electric typewriter from the right;

FIG. 3 is an operating diagram of the synchronism elec- DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The automatic writing arrangement of the invention is in-j corporated in an electric typewriter connected to an account- Moreover, in the first part of the cycle, the cam 94 acts on the lever 58, which is brought back above the arm 56 of the bail 53. Simultaneously, the cam 71 causes anti-clockwise rotation of a lever 72 which is followed by a lever 89. A lug 91 of the lever 89 acts in this way on an arm 92 of the bail 53, which is now brought back to rest together with the universal bar 46 substantially before the striking of the type bar 7 against the platen 6 occurs.

After the striking action, the cam 43 causes the lever 39 to turn anti-clockwise, bringing the universal bar 33 back to rest and retensioning the spring 37. The cams 43, 71 and 94 now stop with the following dog 64 against the lever 58 after a rotation of 120.

The lever 72, in addition to re-cocking the bail 53 during the writing cycle, serves to command the various functions of the machine, such as the raising of the ribbon and the escape of the carriage. More particularly, the lever 72 is provided with an arm 180 adapted to cooperate with a lug 181 of a bail 182 fulcrumed at 183. Another arm 184 of the bail 182 is adapted to actuate an escapement device 120 known per se.

In addition to being operable by the bail 182, the escapement mechanism 120 being under the action of the lever 72, it can also be operated by the usual space key AC (FIG. 2), which is fixed to a lever 186 fulcrumed at 187 and connected by a lost-motion connection to a lever 188 fulcrumed on a fixed spindle 189. A lug 190 of a bail 191 fulcrumed at 192 normally bears through the action of a spring 193 against the lower end of the lever 188. Moreover, a pin 194 carried by a lever 195 fulcrumed at 189 and connected to the lever 188 by a spring 196 bears against the lever 188. The lower end of the lever 195 is normally behind (to the right in FIG. 2 of) the lug 190 of the bail 191.

The bail 191 is provided with a projection 202 against which there normally bears one of the three lugs 203 of a ring 204. The ring 204 is connected to a cam 205 loose on the shaft 70 through the medium of two levers 208, a clutch dog 209 and a spring 211. The dog 209 is adapted to engage with a toothed wheel 210 fast with the shaft 70 and forms with the toothed wheel the one-cycle operating clutch of the spacer. A bail 212 fulcrumed at 73 and biased clockwise by a spring 213 cooperates with the cam 205. An arm 214 of the bail 212 is adapted to act on the lug 181 of the bail 182 in a similar manner to the arm 180 of the lever 72.

The bail 191 moreover has an arm 215 adapted to cooperate with a earn 216 fast with the cam 205, but is normally disengaged therefrom. Another arm 218 of the bail 191 carries an element constituted by a lug 219 and adapted to move resiliently along a path intersecting the path of another arm ing machine of the type described in the U.S. Pat/No.

The electric typewriter is substantially of the type described I in U.S. Pat. No. 3,151,722 which will be described briefly here.

0n the depression of a writing key, the respective lever 31 (FIG. 1) releases a latch 19 through the medium of a push member 28 adapted to co-operate with a lug 29 of a lever 30. By turning anticlockwise, the latch, on the one hand, engages with a universal bar 33, and, on the other hand, acts on a universal member adapted to be shifted resiliently and constituted by a bail 45 including a universal bar 46. The universal bar 46 is turned anticlockwise and, through the medium of a tie rod 51, causes a bail 53 to turn in the same sense and release a lever 58. This lever is now turned anti-clockwise releasing a dog 64 of a one cycle clutch 64,69, which is closed or engaged to connect a continuously rotating driving shaft 70 with a group of earns 43, 71 and 94 for a cycle of 120 C.

At the beginning of the cycle, the cam 43 lets go a lever 39 connected to the bar 33 by a connecting rod 38, as a result of which a spring 37 causes the bar 33 to rock anti-clockwise. The bar 33 pulls the latch 19 forward (to the left in FIG. 1) and, through the medium of a lever 12 and a tie rod 11, the latch causes the type bar 7 to strike against the platen 6.

221 of the bail 53.

When the space key AC is depressed, the lever 188 releases the lug and the spring 193 causes the bail 191 to turn clockwise resiliently, releasing the lug 203 of the ring 204. The lever then comes to bear with its lower end behind the lug 190, while the spring 211 causes the ring 204 to rotate with respect to the cam 205 in such manner as to engage the dog 209 with the wheel 210, thus closing or engaging the clutch of the spacer and setting the cams 205 and 216 in rotation for a cycle of 120. The cam 205 now causes the bail 212 to turn anti-clockwise and the bail, acting on the lug 181, operates the escapement, as a result of which the carriage advances by one space.

Towards the end of the cycle, the cam'216 acts on the arm 215, causing it to turn anti-clockwise so as to release the lever 195 from the lug 190. This is now locked in the low position by the lever 195, so that the actuation of the escapement is not repeated even if the key AC is kept depressed. On releasing the key AC, the lever 188 brings the lever 195 back to rest and it is thus disengaged from the lug 190. The lug now bears against the lower end of the lever 188.

When the bail 191 is turned clockwise to operate the escapement, its lug 219 is disposed in the path of the arm 221 of the bail 55. If a writing key is then depressed, the corresponding latch 19 (FIG. 1) is released, but cannot turn the universal bar 46, since the bail 53 connected thereto is arrested against the lug 219. As soon as the cam 216 (FIG. 2) brings the bail 191 back to rest, the latch 19 can cause the bail 53 to turn, thus producing a writing cycle.

Similarly, if the key AC is depressed when the bail 53 is turned to produce a writing cycle, the bail 191 is arrested by the lug 219 against the projection 221 and does not release the lug 203.

The electric typewriter is adapted to write the numerical data processed by the accounting machine.

To this end, the space key AC has a corresponding operating electromagnet 230 (FIG. 2) associated with it, while with each of the writing keys for the numbers to 9, the writing key for the minus algebraic sign and the writing key for the comma or decimal point sign there is associated a corresponding operating electromagnet 231, only one of these magnets being shown in FIG. 1.

The electromagnet 230 and the various electromagnets 231 are normally de-energized and can be energized selectively in the manner described in the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,083 with reference to the electromagnets indicated therein by the references 108 to 120. More particularly, the electromagnet 230 comprises a cylindrical core 232 slidable in an energizing coil 233 and connected by a tie-rod 234 to a lever 235 pivotal on a fixed spindle 236. The lever 235 is connected by another tie-rod 237 to a lever 238 pivoted at 239 and adapted to co-operate with a tooth 240 of a slider 241 slidable on two fixed spindles 242 and adapted to co-operate in turn with a shoulder 243 ofthe lever 188.

Each of thc electromagnets 231 (FIG. I) is similar to the electromagnet 230 and is adapted to actuate a lever 246 pivoting at 247 and connected by a tie rod 248 to a lever 249 pivoting at 250. The lever 249 is adapted to co-operate with the lug 29 of the lever 30 by means of a shoulder 251.

A keyboard locking electromagnet 255 similar to the electromagnets 230 and 231 is moreover provided in the typewriter. The electromagnet 255 is arranged to actuate a lever 256 pivoted on a fixed spindle 257 and connected by means of a spi'ing 258 to a latch 259 also pivoted on the spindle 257. By means of a lug 260 and through the action of the spring 258, the lever 256 normally bears on the lever 259 and, by means of another lug 261, it is adapted to co-operate with a slider 262 slidable at 263 and connected to the arm 195 of the lever 188.

A resiliently-biased bail 264 normally bears on the lug 260 and is provided with a universal bar 265 adapted to cooperate with all the levers 31 (FIG. 1) of the writing keys and with the lever 186 (FIG. 2) of the space key AC of the machine. The bail 264 has a tooth 266 which co-operates with the latch 259.

The electromagnet 255 can be operated by an instruction signal F3.7 and by a signal P1, which signals can be sent by the accounting machine on lines 266 and 267, respectively, in FIG. 3.

More particularly, the instruction signal F3.7 is of brief duration and is present on the line 266 whenever the accounting machine, reading the program, finds an instruction the purpose of which is to keep the keyboard of the typewriter released or unlocked while, in accordance with instructions, the accounting machine processes data which are not to be printed on the typewriter itself.

The signal Pl, on the other hand, is of long duration and represents the initial state of the accounting machine, with reference to the same state P1 of the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,613,083.

More particularly, the signal P1 is initiated when the accounting machine is in a state of complete resetting or whenever it has completed the calculating or data processing operations and the setting of an operative calculating key is wanting immediately after the numerical data have been introduced from the keyboard of the accounting machine. When the signal P1 is present, it is required that the keyboard of the typewriter be unlocked. To this end, the signal F3.7 is staticized in a flip-flop NP, the set signal of which is supplied together with the signal P1 to a circuit 268 known per se and constituting an GT1 gate for the signals P1 and NP. The flipflop NP is reset by the signal P1. The output of the circuit 268 is adapted to operate the electromagnet 255.

In order to synchronize the writing cycles of the typewriter with the signals received on the electromagnet 230 and on the various electromagnets 231, the selective energization of these electromagnets is controlled by means of a signal generator constituted by a magnetic pick-up 270 known per se in which a signal can be induced whenever one of two ferromagnetic plates 271 fixed to a disc 272 comes into correspondence with the pick-up. The disc 272 is fixed on a shaft 273 set in rotation by a pair of pulleys 274 and 276 fixed to the shaft 273 and the shaft 70, respectively. The pulley 276 has a diameter three times the diameter of the pulley 274, as a result of which the disc 272 continuously makes one revolution for each writing cycle. The signal induced can then be transformed in known manner into the signal PT of the above-mentioned U.S. Pat. No. 3,6l3,083. The signal PT indicates to the electronic processing parts of the accounting machine the proper instant for the transfer of a character to be printed to the typewriter.

Finally, in the typewriter there is provided a synchronism electromagnet 277 (FIG. 1) which is arranged to actuate a lever 278 pivoted at 279 and normally bearing under the action of a spring 280 against a fixed pin 281. The lever 278 forms a resilient coupling with a push member 282 adapted to co-operate with a lug 283 of the bail 45.

The electromagnet 277 is normally de-energized and can be energized under the control of two AND gate circuits 284 and 285 (FIG. 4).

Since each number coming from the accounting machine which is to be printed by means of the typewriter is always followed by a space in the case of a positive number and by the minus sign in the case of a negativ umber, the inputs of the gate 284 are two signals P93 and P95, while the inputs of the gate 285 are three signals P93, P95 and W3, the aforesaid signals being generated in the accounting machine as described in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 3,6 I 3,083.

More particularly:

The signal P 93 represents the writing state of the typewriter and is present for the period of the writing of spaces, numbers and the algebraic sign.

The signal P95 is present throughout the writing period, except for the period of the algebraic sign.

The signal P95 is present only for the period of the writing of the algebraic sign.

The signal W3 is present whenever the number in process of being printed is negative.

The arrangement operates in the following manner.

When the accounting machine is in the writing state P93, the locking electromagnet 255 (FIG. 2) is energized, as a result of which the lever 256 is turned clockwise and, by means of the latch 259, holds the bail 264 turned anticlockwise with the locking bar 265 in contact with the writing levers 31 and with the lever 186, so that the writing keys and the space key AC cannot be depressed. At the same time, the slider 262 is pushed to the right by the lug 261 and the lever associated with the key AC is turned anti-clockwise, as a result of which repetition of the spacing function can be effected.

As soon as the accountin machine passes into the writing state, the signals P93 and 5, acting via the gate 284 (FIG. 4), cause the synchronizing electromagnet 277 to be energized and the synchronizing electromagnet then causes the lever 278 and the push member 282 to turn until the latter bears against the lug 283 of the bail 45.

Immediately afterwards, the signals representing the number to be printed, which is normally preceded by a series of spacing signals, begin to arrive at the typewriter. As soon as the electromagnet 233 is energized by the first space signal, the lever 188 is turned clockwise via the levers 235, 238 and the slider 24], thus causing the spacing clutch to engage as hereinbefore described.

At the end of each space signal, the electromagnet 230 is de-energized, as a result of which the lever 188 returns towards its rest position each time. The space signals, however, are of a length such that when the electromagnet 230 is de-energized the lever 218 has already undergone re-cocking by the cam 216, so that, when the lever 188 returns towards its rest position, it is stopped against the lug 190 and the spacing clutch continues to remain engaged for all the successive space signals until the final de-energization of the electromagnet 230, which follows the last space signal.

Immediately afterwards, as soon as the electromagnet 231 selected by the signal of the number to be printed is energized, the lever 249 is turned anti-clockwise through the medium of the lever 246 and the tie rod 248 and, acting on the lug 29, causes the lever 30 to turn clockwise and said last-mentioned lever, in turn, rotates the bail 45 anti-clockwise, thus engaging the writing clutch and moreover selecting the type bar 7 of the character selected as hereinbefore described. Moreover, on turning anti-clockwise, the bail 45 clears the push member 282 and the latter, urged by the synchronizing electromagnet 277, then moves into position above the lug 283, thus ensuring the engagement of the writing clutch throughout the period of reception of the signals on the electromagnets 231. The electromagnet 277 is then de-energized immediately after the writing of the least significant number of the figure to be printed or, due to the AND gate 285, immediately after the writing of the minus sign.

It is understood that various modifications, improvements and additions of parts may be made in the arrangement without departing from the scope of the invention.

What we claim is:

1. An automatic print-out apparatus for accounting or similar machines, having a store to emit in succession during a data transfer period a series of character. code combinations, a set of electromagnets each one energizable by the emission of a corresponding code combination for causing said apparatus to print the corresponding character during a machine cycle, a

one-cycle clutch for causing said machine cycle, said clutch including a continuously rotating driving part, a driven part normally disengaged from said driving partand a universal member temporarily movable to an operated position when each one of said electromagnets is energized to condition said driven part to engage the driving part, wherein the improvement comprises: a synchronizing electromagnet-energizable during all said transfer period, a locking element actuated by said synchronizing electromagnet to lock said universal member in the operated position so as to maintain said clutch engaged during said transfer period, an element movable with said driving part, and a signal generator for generating a synchronizing signal by reading the position of said movable element to sequentially call up the next following code combination in predetermined time relationship with the machine cycle.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a spacing mechanism actuatable by a specific code combination, said mechanism including another one-cycle clutch and a pair of members controlling said other one-cycle clutch, one member of said pair normally preventing repeating operation of said other one-cycle clutch, and another electromagnet energizable during said transfer period to render said one member ineffective. 

1. An automatic print-out apparatus for accounting or similar machines, having a store to emit in succession during a data transfer period a series of character code combinations, a set of electromagnets each one energizable by the emission of a corresponding code combination for causing said apparatus to print the corresponding character during a machine cycle, a onecycle clutch for causing said machine cycle, said clutch including a continuously rotating driving part, a driven part normally disengaged from said driving part and a universal member temporarily movable to an operated position when each one of said electromagnets is energized to condition said driven paRt to engage the driving part, wherein the improvement comprises: a synchronizing electromagnet energizable during all said transfer period, a locking element actuated by said synchronizing electromagnet to lock said universal member in the operated position so as to maintain said clutch engaged during said transfer period, an element movable with said driving part, and a signal generator for generating a synchronizing signal by reading the position of said movable element to sequentially call up the next following code combination in predetermined time relationship with the machine cycle.
 2. An apparatus according to claim 1, comprising a spacing mechanism actuatable by a specific code combination, said mechanism including another one-cycle clutch and a pair of members controlling said other one-cycle clutch, one member of said pair normally preventing repeating operation of said other one-cycle clutch, and another electromagnet energizable during said transfer period to render said one member ineffective. 